Friday, April 3, 2009

I know that you've all been waiting on the edge of your seats to find out about April's cookbook. Drum roll please... it's "Moosewood Restaurant New Classics". I love the whole Moosewood collection, and definitely plan on stopping by the restaurant if I ever find myself near Ithaca, NY. All of their books are vegetarian (but include fish), although you could throw meat in many of them if you are so inclined. Their recipes focus on whole foods, and my favorite sections of the book are the grains and casseroles sections. It won't be hard to cook a lot from this book this month because just about every recipe sounds great. The first one is rather simple, but delicious nonetheless.

Roasted vegetables over pasta (adapted from "Moosewood Restaurant New Classics")

1 medium eggplant

2 small zucchini

2 onions

2 tomatoes

1 green bell pepper

3 Tbsp olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

pinch of salt

freshly ground black pepper

1/2 Tbsp dried basil

4 oz. whole wheat penne (use brown rice pasta for gluten-free)

Chop eggplant, zucchini, onions, tomatoes, and bell pepper into bite-sized pieces. In a small bowl, combine oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and basil. Toss vegetables in oil mixture until well combined. Spread veggies out on large baking sheet and roast, stirring occasionally, at 400 until tender (about 25 min). While veggies are cooking, boil pasta according to package directions. Serve veggies over pasta. Serves 3.

This was simple, but a great use of veggies. It's another great recipe that is completely adaptable based on what you have on hand. If I had mushrooms and more tomatoes, I would have thrown those in too. It was great as is, though. This is a great meal for those nights when you want to throw something together in 30 min (and I suppose Rachel Ray would approve).